Fuel prices in Bosnia and Herzegovina are rising almost daily, with diesel at some gas stations approaching three marks per liter and gasoline reaching up to 2.51 BAM. The sharp increase has sparked concern among citizens, many of whom fear that prices could climb even higher. In recent days, the surge in demand led to large crowds at petrol stations across the country.
At certain stations, the price of a liter of diesel has reached 2.99 BAM, while gasoline stands at around 2.51 BAM – the highest levels recorded in the past few years. Although queues were seen earlier this week, there were fewer crowds at pumps today.
Despite the price surge, authorities say the fuel market remains stable and that there will be no disruptions in supply. According to officials, distributors and traders have already secured sufficient quantities of petroleum products.
Đorđe Savić from the Group for Oil and Oil Derivatives in Republika Srpska said that distributors are largely setting prices in line with existing regulations.
“What you have to understand at this point is that prices are rising much more than our minimum margin, and in my opinion the vast majority of distributors are certainly pricing in accordance with the regulation,” Savić said.
However, information from the field indicates that some margins may have reached as high as 300 percent. Inspections are currently being carried out on a daily basis. Authorities in Republika Srpska announced that in the coming days the government will amend the regulation that limits margins for fuel traders.
The Minister of Trade and Tourism of Republika Srpska, Ned Puhovac, expressed frustration over the situation, saying that traders are taking advantage of the current circumstances.
“We are preparing a regulation that will again limit these margins. Inspections in the field have determined, believe it or not, that the margin is somewhere around 300 percent. I am angry with the traders — why are they using this moment now?” Puhovac said.
Authorities have also confirmed that citizens have begun stockpiling fuel. Over the past seven days alone, around 18.2 million liters of diesel were purchased, worth approximately 50 million BAM – nearly twice the usual volume. Officials say the spike in demand has contributed to the recent price increases.
The Ministry of Energy, Mining and Industry of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that temporary supply difficulties at some stations were largely caused by the sudden rise in purchases.
“According to currently available information, temporary difficulties in fuel supply in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are mostly the result of a sudden increase in demand in the past few days. Increased purchases by businesses and citizens, motivated by fears of a possible shortage, led to significant depletion of stocks at distributors,” the ministry said.
Meanwhile, global oil prices have shown sharp volatility. A barrel of oil reached 116 dollars yesterday – the highest level in several years – before dropping significantly this morning to around 90.42 dollars per barrel, highlighting the instability of the international oil market.
